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Administrative
Core
Administrative | Protein Analytical | Imaging | Organic | Proteomics | Viral Production |
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DESCRIPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CORE Introduction and Objectives The Administrative Core functions to facilitate and coordinate the research and training activities of the COBRE faculty. This core provides the organizational' and administrative structure needed to insure that the faculty to be mentored work in a facilitative environment that will enhance their success in obtaining independent R01-type research funding. The Administrative Core provides the leadership and coordination of the overall research efforts. The core provides support for grants accounting, preparation of progress reports, personnel matters, and grant writing, etc. It insures that COBRE PIs and their research teams have access to state-of-the-art training and provides an environment that will enhance the ability of the junior faculty to obtain grant funding. This core will oversee the use of the research core facilities and provide funds to enhance and utilize the services of these cores. The Administrative Core will oversee the pilot grant program and use it to further expand research efforts in studying human disease at the molecular level. In conjunction with other departmental chairs the core PI will facilitate the hiring of new faculty to increase the critical mass of investigators conducting research on the molecular basis of human disease. Additionally the administrative core oversees the COBRE website dedicated to the program. Dr. Louis Hersh, PI of the COBRE will direct the Administrative Core. He will oversee the daily operation of the program and direct the financial, resources and their utilization. In consultation with the Internal and External Advisory Committees, he will determine the overall directions of the program. In consultation with the junior faculty principal investigators, their faculty mentors, and the Internal and External Advisory Committees, he will assess the progress of the various projects and recommend changes if needed. As Chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, he has the administrative background and experience to responsibly direct the COBRE program and has done so during the previous funding period. The funds requested in this COBRE will be supplemented by University funds. For example, all of the junior faculty serving as principal investigators have received approximately $400,000 in startup funds to set up their laboratories. Each has received modern laboratory and office space and is now in an excellent position to successfully conduct their proposed research programs. Salary support of 50% is budgeted for the PIs per NCRR guidelines to ensure them the time and resources to successfully achieve the aims of their individual projects. As a consequence other activities and assignments will be kept to a minimum to permit them to dedicate the majority of their time to their research projects. The grant applications submitted to the pilot grant program, which is funded equally by COBRE funds and University matching funds, will be reviewed by the Administrative Core, project mentors, and the External Advisory Committee. Preference for an award will be given to new investigators, but could include established investigators changing the direction of their research program. The Administrative Core will make certain the availability of the pilot grants is well advertised. As occurred in the initial funding period, it is anticipated that junior faculty PIs supported by the COBRE will obtain R01-type grant support. The Administrative Core will facilitate the appointment of new faculty to the COBRE to replace those who have been successful in obtaining R01 funding and have "graduated." The opportunity for new faculty to be supported by the COBRE will be well advertised with a small NIH-type grant application to be submitted for evaluation, first by the Internal Advisory Board and then by the External Advisory Committee. The recommended applications will be submitted to NCRR staff. These applications will be selected on the basis of several criteria, including scientific merit of the proposal, relevance of the proposal to the objectives of the COBRE, rank of the applicant (preference to faculty with less then 3 years in a tenure-track position), and potential for future R01-type funding. We will use residual funds from the original projects as well as supplemental funds from the institution to support these new projects. The Administrative Core will coordinate the meetings of the Internal and External Advisory Boards and assist in the preparation of evaluations and their dissemination. The Administrative Core will also organize and run the annual meetings of the External Advisory Committee. One of these meetings will be held in Lexington and will be attended by PIs, faculty mentors, and students and postdocs working on the projects. At this meeting the External Advisory Committee will meet with the junior faculty and faculty mentors to discuss the progress of the various projects. In addition the Administrative Core will coordinate the monthly meetings of the COBRE faculty. Business Management The core has a full-time staff person who works with the PI to facilitate the functions of the COBRE. Together they coordinate activities with participating departments, provide grant management including tracking COBRE expenditures and institutional commitments. The COBRE business management component oversees all purchases made with COBRE funds and provides administrative support for personnel matters. The staff person schedules all COBRE activities, including the monthly COBRE meetings, travel for outside speakers, seminar visitors, and travel by the External Advisory Committee and PI, student, and post-doc travel to regional and national COBRE meetings. In addition the staff person works with the PI to prepare the Annual Progress Report for the NCRR. Faculty Mentoring and Development A major component of the COBRE is the development of the funded junior faculty PIs to an independent status. In the previous funding period we have been successful at achieving this goal by using senior faculty to serve as mentors and having oversight from both the Internal Advisory Board as well as an External Advisory Board. The senior faculty mentors have made a major commitment to mentoring and work closely with their mentees. These mentors, being successful in their own right, serve as excellent role models. They provide guidance in all aspects of the junior faculty member's career development, including advice regarding achieving tenure, grant-writing, and manuscript preparation. The mentors and their mentees establish a strong relationship, which extends well beyond the COBRE years. Additionally, they help to identify directions for the research and help in identifying collaborators. The mentors have acted as professional advocates for the junior faculty and as they develop nominate them to study sections and journal editorial boards. At the next level, the Internal Advisory Board provides an overall internal perspective of the success of the junior faculty PIs. This committee will meet on a semi-annual basis with the PI to evaluate the progress of the COBRE and provide advice as to how the program can further enhance research at the University. The following individuals serve on the Internal Advisory Committee:
Dr. C. William Balke, Professor of Physiology and Medicine and Associate Provost At the next level, the External Advisory Board provides an evaluation of the progress of the PI projects, the pilot projects, and the functioning of the cores. The following group of distinguished scientists has agreed to serve on the External Advisory Board. All are acknowledged leaders in their respective fields and have had highly distinguished careers. These individuals have a strong record of scientific accomplishments, NIH funding, NIH study section membership, as well as extensive experience in training and mentoring. All are experienced in the development of junior faculty and bring expertise in the research areas of the junior faculty. They will provide an unbiased evaluation of the success of the COBRE program and the individual participants. The following individuals comprise the External Advisory Board:
Dr. Ralph Bradshaw, University of California, Irvine Mentoring Mentors and their mentees are expected to meet at least once a month, but during the previous funding period these meetings were much more frequent. During this time the mentor and mentee review progress being made, discuss experimental strategies, and address any potential issues or problems, both scientific and otherwise. In addition all of the COBRE faculty meet together on a monthly basis where one or two of the PIs discuss their research, grant proposals, manuscripts in preparation, etc. The COBRE PI meets with all of the junior faculty at least twice a year to review their progress and consult with them as to how best to facilitate their research. The results of the External Advisory Board review are discussed and a plan is made as to how to implement any recommended changes. Each PI has established a set of these milestones, which will be reviewed and refined at these meetings. Our prior experience has indicated that mentoring activities have produced very positive results as judged by the number of external grants awarded to our COBRE mentees. Taken together the functions of the Administrative Core have and should continue to facilitate the smooth operation of the COBRE, and provide an environment that will maximize the ability of the junior investigators to successfully conduct their projects and "graduate" by receiving funded R01-type extramural grants. |
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